(RJOE)Vol-6, Issue-2, 2021

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

(RJOE)Vol-6, Issue-2, 2021 Oray’s Publications Impact Factor: 6.03(SJIF) Research Journal Of English (RJOE)Vol-6, Issue-2, 2021 www.rjoe.org.in An International Peer-Reviewed English Journal ISSN: 2456-2696 Indexed in: International Citation Indexing (ICI), International Scientific Indexing (ISI), Directory of Research Journal Indexing (DRJI) Google Scholar &Cosmos. ______________________________________________________________________________ TREATMENT OF HISTORICAL SOURCES: A STUDY OF KHALED HOSSEINI’S THE KITE RUNNER AND A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS __________________________________________________________________________ Professor Vikas Sharma Sarwar Ahmad Najar D. Litt. Research Scholar Department of English Department of English CCS University, Meerut CCS University, Meerut __________________________________________________________________________ Abstract Khaled Hosseini left his native land, Afghanistan soon after the disruption and conflict that ravaged the life of common afghan masses. He had to leave his native land to survive the ensuing catastrophic circumstances that were witnessed after the fall of Afghanistan's monarchy and Soviet Military intervention. Although, educated in medicine Khaled Hosseini felt interest and urge in writing Fiction. He authored novels- The kite Runner (2003) and A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007) portraying the life, culture, custom, tradition of his native land, Afghanistan. These novels are deeply concerned with the hard life and hard times of Afghanistan under the tyranny of various regimes. Afghanistan, its people and its surroundings became the background of his fiction. He used the historical sources as a tool to tell his stories that revolved around the characters who presented to his readers the society of his time and when he left his native land to settle in America. The novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, form the historical sources as the background to his fiction writing. The present study is devoted to place Khaled Hosseini’s select novels in the historical and social context of Afghanistan and its impact on his characters and fiction writing. Keywords- History, Literature, Fiction, Culture, Conflict, Coup, Monarchy, Taliban. Introduction Khaled Hosseini was born in 1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was the eldest of the five children to his parents. He is an Afghan-American novelist, physician, activist, humanitarian, and UNHCR goodwill ambassador. His father worked as a diplomat for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul and his mother taught as a teacher of Persion language at high school level.Khaled Hosseini and his family moved to Iran in 1970. There his father worked for the Embassy of Afghanistan. In 1976 his father got a job in France and moved the family there. They could not return to Afghanistan Research Journal Of English (RJOE) Copyright Oray’s Publication Page 105 Oray’s Publications Impact Factor: 6.03(SJIF) Research Journal Of English (RJOE)Vol-6, Issue-2, 2021 www.rjoe.org.in An International Peer-Reviewed English Journal ISSN: 2456-2696 Indexed in: International Citation Indexing (ICI), International Scientific Indexing (ISI), Directory of Research Journal Indexing (DRJI) Google Scholar &Cosmos. ______________________________________________________________________________ 1980, soon after the beginning of the Soviet Afghan War, the family of Khaled Hosseini sought Political Asylum in the United States. They started living in San Jose California. Khaled Hosseini describes the experience of living outside his native land as "a culture shock" and "very alienating”. Despite their distance from the country's turmoil, the family was aware of the situations faced by a number of their friends and relatives in Afghanistan. Khaled Hosseini gained attention after the publication of his first novel, The Kite Runner (2003). After the success of his first novel, Khaled Hosseini retired from Medicine to write full time. He authored two more novels that include A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007), And the Mountains Echoed (2013) and a short fiction on the refugee crisis of Syria, The Sea Prayer (2018). Khaled Hosseini is currently a Goodwill Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He has been working to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan through the Khaled Hosseini Foundation raising funds to build homes for refugees returning to Afghanistan. Khaled Hosseini's native land, Afghanistan were all of his novels are set has a tumultuous history. Afghanistan has witnessed violence and bloodshed. Even today there is civil war, religious extremism, conflict and strife. Historical Background Since History is the study of the events that occurred in past as described in written documents. And there being close relation between History and Literature in discovering history of a race, feelings, aspirations, customs, and traditions of a people. Since it is the responsibility of a historian to accurately record events that produce important changes in the lives of people who live in a community, nation or the whole world. Literary artist’s on Research Journal Of English (RJOE) Copyright Oray’s Publication Page 106 Oray’s Publications Impact Factor: 6.03(SJIF) Research Journal Of English (RJOE)Vol-6, Issue-2, 2021 www.rjoe.org.in An International Peer- Oray’s Publications Impact Factor: 6.03(SJIF) Research Journal Of English (RJOE)Vol-6, Issue-2, 2021 www.rjoe.org.in An International Peer-Reviewed English Journal ISSN: 2456-2696 Indexed in: International Citation Indexing (ICI), International Scientific Indexing (ISI), Directory of Research Journal Indexing (DRJI) Google Scholar &Cosmos. ______________________________________________________________________________ power, such as Pakistan, Iran, or Saudi Arabia. This bloody civil war lasted until 1996 after the Taliban, a new militia backed by Pakistan and enforced by several thousand al-Qaeda fighters from Arab countries, took control of Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban Era (1996-2001) The Talibanseized Kabul in 1996. The Taliban established the Research Journal Of English (RJOE) Copyright Oray’s Publication Page 109 Oray’s Publications Impact Factor: 6.03(SJIF) Research Journal Of English (RJOE)Vol-6, Issue-2, 2021 www.rjoe.org.in An International Peer-Reviewed English Journal ISSN: 2456-2696 Indexed in: International Citation Indexing (ICI), International Scientific Indexing (ISI), Directory of Research Journal Indexing (DRJI) Google Scholar &Cosmos. ______________________________________________________________________________ infighting was fuelled by ethnic and sectarian animosity. The Afghanistan witnessed mass executions, rape, torture; looting and indiscriminate bombardment of residential areas. After the Civil war, the Taliban took hold of the power and control of Afghanistan in 1996. The Taliban imposed the brutal rules in the name of Islam. They imposed inhuman rules bringing the country into extreme fundamentalism. They imposed new Sharia law and banning television and music. Referring to the Taliban flyers, Khaled Hosseini in this novel makes a travesty that religion is no more under the control of God, rather is controlled by the tyrants: “Our Watan is now known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. These are the laws that we will enforce and you will obey: All citizens must pray five times a day. If it is prayer time and you are caught doing something other, you will be beaten. All men will grow their beards...All boys will wear turbans …Singing is forbidden. Dancing is forbidden. Playing cards, playing chess, gambling, and kite flying are forbidden. Writing books, watching films, and painting pictures are forbidden. If you keep parakeets, you will be beaten. Your birds will be killed. If you steal, your hand will be cut off at the wrist. If you steal again, your foot will be cut off.” (Khaled Hosseini 270). The Taliban régime imposed many inhuman decrees and people were forced to follow them. Fearful of being punished for little cause, the common people preferred staying at home. Because of deplorable state of daily affairs and constant threat to life many left Afghanistan, but those who could not afford to leave had to endure their fate. They led a life of poverty, hunger, fear, torture, and punishment. In the novel the harsh laws of Taliban regime deeply affect the lives of Laila, Mariam and Tariq.Mariam is executed publically by the Taliban after she kills her husband, Rasheed while saving Laila. Laila and Tariq too are forced to leave the country to seek refuge in Pakistan. However, The United States of America declared war on the Taliban soon after the Taliban attacked United Statesin 2001. Afghanistan once again witnessed and experienced bombs, rockets, explosives that crushed the country further. Although ravaged from all corners the people of Afghanistan saw a new hope for a better future and worked for rebuilding the country with the Hamid Karzai as new president of Democratic Afghanistan. The novel captures all these historical events and incidents and the novel ends with a tone of positivity, that Laila and Tariqreturn to Afghanistan. They rebuild the orphanage which symbolizes the hope of rebuilding of the country. In this novel, Hosseini captures the authentic picture of Afghan history by showing the impact of the political conflicts on the life of the characters. Conclusion Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns reflect the history, culture and social conditions of modern day Afghanistan. The novels present the cultural, social and political conditions
Recommended publications
  • Revolution in Afghanistan
    Fred Halliday Revolution in Afghanistan On 27 April 1978 the world heard that there had been a successful military coup in Afghanistan. The régime headed by Mohammad Daud, which had itself come to power through a coup in July 1973, had been suddenly overthrown by tanks and jet planes that struck in the Afghan capital, Kabul. At first it seemed as if this was yet another military intervention which, although violent and abrupt, involved no major shift in the policies, social character or international alignment of those in power: a change comparable to Daud’s own coup, or to others in neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Arab world. Yet within days it became clear that the announcements of radical change coming over Radio Kabul were more than just the ritual demagogy of military coups: something rather more substantial had occurred. In the first place, the coup, although carried out by the military, reflected much wider political forces. It had been preceded by mass popular demonstrations in Kabul, and as thousands of people flocked to inspect Daud’s conquered palace, 3 now renamed the House of the People, it became evident that it had ousted a hated régime and at least temporarily embodied the hopes of a wide section of the population. At the same time it became clear that the coup was not just the product of a conspiracy within the military, but had been carried out on the instructions of an underground Marxist political organization whose membership was overwhelmingly civilian. This at once distinguished the new rulers from other radical military régimes in the Arab world, South Asia or Ethiopia.
    [Show full text]
  • Nation Building Process in Afghanistan Ziaulhaq Rashidi1, Dr
    Saudi Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Abbreviated Key Title: Saudi J Humanities Soc Sci ISSN 2415-6256 (Print) | ISSN 2415-6248 (Online) Scholars Middle East Publishers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Journal homepage: http://scholarsmepub.com/sjhss/ Original Research Article Nation Building Process in Afghanistan Ziaulhaq Rashidi1, Dr. Gülay Uğur Göksel2 1M.A Student of Political Science and International Relations Program 2Assistant Professor, Istanbul Aydin University, Istanbul, Turkey *Corresponding author: Ziaulhaq Rashidi | Received: 04.04.2019 | Accepted: 13.04.2019 | Published: 30.04.2019 DOI:10.21276/sjhss.2019.4.4.9 Abstract In recent times, a number of countries faced major cracks and divisions (religious, ethnical and geographical) with less than a decade war/instability but with regards to over four decades of wars and instabilities, the united and indivisible Afghanistan face researchers and social scientists with valid questions that what is the reason behind this unity and where to seek the roots of Afghan national unity, despite some minor problems and ethnic cracks cannot be ignored?. Most of the available studies on nation building process or Afghan nationalism have covered the nation building efforts from early 20th century and very limited works are available (mostly local narratives) had touched upon the nation building efforts prior to the 20th. This study goes beyond and examine major struggles aimed nation building along with the modernization of state in Afghanistan starting from late 19th century. Reforms predominantly the language (Afghani/Pashtu) and role of shared medium of communication will be deliberated. In addition, we will talk how the formation of strong centralized government empowered the state to initiate social harmony though the demographic and geographic oriented (north-south) resettlement programs in 1880s and how does it contributed to the nation building process.
    [Show full text]
  • Great Game to 9/11
    Air Force Engaging the World Great Game to 9/11 A Concise History of Afghanistan’s International Relations Michael R. Rouland COVER Aerial view of a village in Farah Province, Afghanistan. Photo (2009) by MSst. Tracy L. DeMarco, USAF. Department of Defense. Great Game to 9/11 A Concise History of Afghanistan’s International Relations Michael R. Rouland Washington, D.C. 2014 ENGAGING THE WORLD The ENGAGING THE WORLD series focuses on U.S. involvement around the globe, primarily in the post-Cold War period. It includes peacekeeping and humanitarian missions as well as Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom—all missions in which the U.S. Air Force has been integrally involved. It will also document developments within the Air Force and the Department of Defense. GREAT GAME TO 9/11 GREAT GAME TO 9/11 was initially begun as an introduction for a larger work on U.S./coalition involvement in Afghanistan. It provides essential information for an understanding of how this isolated country has, over centuries, become a battleground for world powers. Although an overview, this study draws on primary- source material to present a detailed examination of U.S.-Afghan relations prior to Operation Enduring Freedom. Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government. Cleared for public release. Contents INTRODUCTION The Razor’s Edge 1 ONE Origins of the Afghan State, the Great Game, and Afghan Nationalism 5 TWO Stasis and Modernization 15 THREE Early Relations with the United States 27 FOUR Afghanistan’s Soviet Shift and the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • My Memoirs Shah Wali Khan
    University of Nebraska at Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Digitized Books Archives & Special Collections 1970 My Memoirs Shah Wali Khan Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ascdigitizedbooks Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Recommended Citation Khan, Shah Wali, "My Memoirs" (1970). Digitized Books. 18. http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/ascdigitizedbooks/18 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Archives & Special Collections at DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Digitized Books by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MY MEMOIRS ( \ ~ \ BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS SARDAR SHAH WALi VICTOR OF KABUL KABUL COLUMN OF JNDEPENDENCE Afghan Coll. 1970 DS 371 sss A313 His Royal Highness Marshal Sardar Shah Wali Khan Victor of Kabul MY MEMOIRS BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS MARSHAL SARDAR SHAH WALi VICTOR OF KABUL KABUL 1970 PRINTED IN PAKISTAN BY THE PUNJAB EDUCATIONAL PRESS, , LAHORE CONTENTS PART I THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE Pages A Short Biography of His Royal Highness Sardar Shah Wali Khan, Victor of Kabul i-iii 1. My Aim 1 2. Towards the South 7 3. The Grand Assembly 13 4. Preliminary Steps 17 5. Fall of Thal 23 6. Beginning of Peace Negotiations 27 7. The Armistice and its Effects 29 ~ 8. Back to Kabul 33 PART II DELIVERANCE OF THE COUNTRY 9. Deliverance of the Country 35 C\'1 10. Beginning of Unrest in the Country 39 er 11. Homewards 43 12. Arrival of Sardar Shah Mahmud Ghazi 53 Cµ 13. Sipah Salar's Activities 59 s:: ::s 14.
    [Show full text]
  • The Path to Secular Democracy in Afghanistan: Through Educational Reform and Rule of Law
    THE PATH TO SECULAR DEMOCRACY IN AFGHANISTAN: THROUGH EDUCATIONAL REFORM AND RULE OF LAW A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of The School of Continuing Studies and of The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Liberal Studies By Fatima Popal, B.A. Georgetown University Washington, D.C. April 8, 2011 THE PATH TO SECULAR DEMOCRACY IN AFGHANISTAN: THROUGH EDUCATIONAL REFORM AND RULE OF LAW Fatima Popal, B.A. MALS Mentor: Gregory Havrilak, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Since the early 1970s, when the third major historical wave of democratization began, the Muslim world has seen little evidence of improvements in reaching for this new wave of political reform. As more and more countries around the world are embracing openness, transparency and power sharing in governance, Islam has become an important point of reference in debates about how the Muslim nation states should be governed. In spite of the “democracy gap” in many Muslim countries, history shows that Islam is not inherently incompatible with freedom, secularism, modernism and democratic values. This thesis explores Afghanistan and its possible path to secular democracy. It focuses on establishing a secular democracy with a concentration on educational reform and rule of law in order for political, social and economic reform. In order to validate the hypothesis, the methodology used was divided into four principal parts. First, analyzing the political history of Afghanistan and demonstrating that modern democratic initiatives have been the quest of the Afghan political forces for years. Secondly, reviewing the process of democratization of Turkey and Indonesia and using their models as a blueprint for necessary reforms while considering the relevant lessons from past political experiences in order to create a practical framework.
    [Show full text]
  • Pashtunism and Its Role in Afghanistan-Iran Relations
    International Journal of Education and Research Vol. 2 No. 11 November 2014 Pashtunism and Its Role in Afghanistan-Iran Relations Bahram Mousavi, PhD Student of History of Contemporary Iran. University of Isfahan. Iran. E. mail: [email protected] Morteza Dehghan Nejad, Professor of History, University of Isfahan. Iran. Email: [email protected] Morteza Nuraei, Professor of History, University of Isfahan. Iran. Email: [email protected] Abstract Afghanistan is a country which has been the arena of conflicts and fights of different tribes and races all over its history. Nowadays, one of the basic problems of Afghanistan is the issue of various and sometimes conflicting ethnic textures which has prevented the development and advancement of as well as the national union and the coalition in this poor country. After Afghanistan's separation from Iran, one of the racial groups living in Afghanistan called Pashtun seized the power, political structure and cultural domains and other ethnic groups of this country such as Tajiks, Hazara people, Uzbeks and Turkmens were considered as the quadratic residents and were given the least facilities and political-economic situations. Among these racial groups, the Shiite Hazara and Tajiks, due to the monopoly of political power, were oppressed and discriminated by the pro-Pashtun domination. The policy of Pashtunization of Afghanistan not only caused conflicts and backwardness within the geographical borders of this country, but influenced significantly the relations of this country with other countries particularly Iran and is considered as one of the reasons of underdevelopment and the lack of depth in desirable political, economic and cultural relations among the two countries.
    [Show full text]
  • Afghanistan in the Historical Perspective
    Global Political Review (GPR) URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gpr.2017(II-I).05 Afghanistan in the Historical Perspective Huma Qayum* † Zahir Shah Abstract Afghanistan is having a very long historical ‡ background. It dates back to 1500 BC when Islam Jan Alam was far away from this region. Different dynasties established their foundations and were ruined away. The paper brings into light • Vol. II, No. I (2017) major common factors among Pakistan and Afghanistan. It l highlights the past of Afghanistan before the Islamic period and after • Pages: 46 – 53 the arrival of Islam in this region. Especially the historical • DOI: 10.31703/gpr.2017(II-I).05 background which is totally the same among the two states. Similarly, rulers consolidated their empire from Afghanistan to • p- ISSN: 2521-2982 India. The paper also elaborates different dynasties and how • ISSN-L: 2521-2982 residents of the concerned area faced such aggressions with though resistance. Who never surrendered against any foreign rule and gained independence as a sovereign state. It still survives to Key Words: face superpowers’ rivalry that affect the very foundations of Indo- Pre-Islamic period, Post-Islamic Afghan states. period, historical background, Muslim rulers Introduction The Kabul city established in (1500 BC-551) Aryans and the Medes rule. Rig Veda may have been created in Afghanistan around this period, as well as a sign of the initial wandering Iron age. Amid 2000-1200 BC, a group of tribes of Indo-European linguistic identified as Aryan started migration into this area. They split into three diverse groups Iranic peoples, Nuristani, and Indo-Aryans in the early phase, probably during 1500-1000 BC in what today is called Afghanistan (Dupree, 1977).
    [Show full text]
  • Youth Mobilization and Political Constraints in Afghanistan
    UNITeD StateS INSTITUTe oF Peace www.usip.org SPeCIAL RePoRT 2301 Constitution Ave., NW • Washington, DC 20037 • 202.457.1700 • fax 202.429.6063 ABOUT THE REPORT Anna Larson and Noah Coburn Youth and young political leaders are reshaping Afghan politics, even as they and ostensibly Western-style civil society groups operate in a political system dominated by commanders and other power brokers from an earlier generation. Drawing on over a hundred interviews, this report examines the Youth Mobilization potential space for youth in Afghanistan’s political landscape, highlighting some of the major issues confronting young people that are likely to be common in other parts of Afghanistan. The work builds on several initiatives by the and Political Constraints United States Institute of Peace and will be complemented by a broader, national-level study. in Afghanistan ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anna Larson is a researcher affiliated with the Post-War Reconstruction and Development Unit, University of York, The Y Factor United Kingdom. Noah Coburn is a political anthropologist at Bennington College. Their book Derailing Democracy in Afghanistan from Columbia University Press explores the ways in which internationally sponsored elections in Afghanistan Summary have eroded democratic processes. • As Afghanistan prepares for presidential elections in 2014, many young people are vocal about how the system appears to limit their meaningful participation in politics. • Historically, young people in Afghanistan have challenged the status quo. However, it is possible to detect a declining trend from the early twentieth century to the present in the extent to which these challenges have been able to effect change in the political system.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethnohistory of the Qizilbash in Kabul: Migration, State, and a Shi'a Minority
    ETHNOHISTORY OF THE QIZILBASH IN KABUL: MIGRATION, STATE, AND A SHI’A MINORITY Solaiman M. Fazel Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Anthropology Indiana University May 2017 i Accepted by the Graduate Faculty, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Doctoral Committee __________________________________________ Raymond J. DeMallie, PhD __________________________________________ Anya Peterson Royce, PhD __________________________________________ Daniel Suslak, PhD __________________________________________ Devin DeWeese, PhD __________________________________________ Ron Sela, PhD Date of Defense ii For my love Megan for the light of my eyes Tamanah and Sohrab and for my esteemed professors who inspired me iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This historical ethnography of Qizilbash communities in Kabul is the result of a painstaking process of multi-sited archival research, in-person interviews, and collection of empirical data from archival sources, memoirs, and memories of the people who once live/lived and experienced the affects of state-formation in Afghanistan. The origin of my study extends beyond the moment I had to pick a research topic for completion of my doctoral dissertation in the Department of Anthropology, Indiana University. This study grapples with some questions that have occupied my mind since a young age when my parents decided to migrate from Kabul to Los Angeles because of the Soviet-Afghan War of 1980s. I undertook sections of this topic while finishing my Senior Project at UC Santa Barbara and my Master’s thesis at California State University, Fullerton. I can only hope that the questions and analysis offered here reflects my intellectual progress.
    [Show full text]
  • Views Were Conducted During Fieldwork in the Summers of 2008 And
    The Role of Media in the Framing of the Afghan Conflict and the Search for Peace A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Roshan Noorzai August 2012 © 2012 Roshan Noorzai. All Rights Reserved. This dissertation titled The Role of Media in the Framing of the Afghan Conflict and the Search for Peace by ROSHAN NOORZAI has been approved for the School of Media Arts and Studies and the Scripps College of Communication by _____________________________________________ Don M. Flournoy Professor of Media Arts and Studies _____________________________________________ Scott Titsworth Dean, Scripps College of Communication ii Abstract NOORZAI, ROSHAN, Ph.D., August 2012, Mass Communication The Role of Media in the Framing of the Afghan Conflict and the Search for Peace (306 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Don M. Flournoy This dissertation explores media framing of conflict and peace in post-September 11, 2001 Afghanistan. The media selected for this study included: the BBC Pashto Service and Azadi Radio at the international level; Tehran’s Pashto Radio at the regional level; National Radio and Television of Afghanistan [NRTA], Tolo Television and Ariana Television at the national level; and Salam Watandar Network and Hewad Television at the local level. In-depth interviews were conducted during fieldwork in the summers of 2008 and 2009. Participant observation, textual analysis and documents analysis were the other methods used in this study. Using comparative frame analysis, this study identified the following main frames: state building, occupation as failure and civilian victims.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Aspects in Afghanistan Handbook
    NATO HUMINT CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE HUMAN ASPECTS IN AFGHANISTAN HANDBOOK ORADEA - 2013 - NATO HUMINT CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE HUMAN ASPECTS IN AFGHANISTAN HANDBOOK ORADEA 2013 Realized within Human Aspects of the Operational Environment Project, NATO HUMINT Centre of Excellence Coordinator: Col. Dr. Eduard Simion Technical coordination and cover: Col. Răzvan Surdu, Maj. Peter Kovacs Technical Team: Maj. Constantin Sîrmă, OR-9 Dorian Bănică NATO HUMINT Centre of Excellence Human Aspects in Afghanistan Handbook / NATO HUMINT Centre of Excellence – Oradea, HCOE, 2013 Project developed under the framework of NATO's Defence against Terrorism Programme of Work with the support of Emerging Security Challenges Division/ NATO HQ. © 2013 by NATO HUMINT Centre of Excellence All rights reserved Printed by: CNI Coresi SA “Imprimeria de Vest” Subsidiary 35 Calea Aradului, Oradea Human Aspects in Afghanistan - Handbook EDITORIAL TEAM Zobair David DEEN, International Security Assistance Force Headquarters, SME Charissa DEEN, University of Manitoba, Instructor Aemal KARUKHALE, International Security Assistance Force Headquarters, SME Peter KOVÁCS, HUMINT Centre of Excellence, Major, Slovak Armed Forces Hubertus KÖBKE, United Nations, Lieutenant-Colonel German Army Reserve Luděk MICHÁLEK, Police Academy of the Czech Republic, Lieutenant Colonel, Czech Army (Ret.) Ralf Joachim MUMM, The Defence Committee of the Federal German Parliament Ali Zafer ÖZSOY, HUMINT Centre of Excellence, Colonel, Turkish Army Lesley SIMM, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), NATO, SME
    [Show full text]
  • Afghanistan Before the Invasions: the Subversion of Democracy in 1973
    Afghanistan before the Invasions: The Subversion of Democracy in 1973 Khalida Ramyar A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Graduate Program in Sociology York University Toronto, Ontario May 2015 © Khalida Ramyar, 2015 Abstract Using the Wikileaks PlusD Archive of US State Department cables from Kabul in 1973, this thesis presents an analysis of the politics of the Helmand Water Treaty between Afghanistan and Iran and the role of the US in Afghanistan's politics at the time. The analysis of the cables shows: a) that US policy was directed towards the promotion of neoliberalism in Afghanistan; b) that Afghanistan in 1973 was the site of a largely neglected struggle for democracy, and c) that the US, as well as the Afghan establishment, worked together to suppress this democratic struggle. These broader political dynamics are illustrated through a focus on the Helmand Water Treaty as discussed in the cables. ii Dedication For my love Justin, without whom nothing is possible, and for Cyrus, my little Halfghan, for whom I hope this narrative fills some of the gaps in the road to self-discovery. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank: My supervisors, Tania Das Gupta, and Michael Nijhawan, for giving me a lot of freedom and flexibility, for believing in the story, and for being endlessly helpful. The Graduate Program Director of Sociology when I entered the program, Kathy Bischoping, for giving my application a chance. My family, and especially Mom and Dad, for providing the inspiration to find the truth.
    [Show full text]